Cor Contritum (Broken Heart)
by aspaceboi
Summary: Midoriya Ariko had given up on being a hero, given that she's quirkless. At least, she thought she was. When her best friend goes missing in a string of disappearances, it's up to her, along with her estranged childhood friend, Satsuki, to save the day. That is, if they aren't also taken, or succumb to their inner demons.
1. Chapter 1

Midoriya Ariko was quirkless. Well, not quirkless exactly, but more like a late bloomer. In a world of superheroes and villains, to lack a quirk, even temporarily, was to be basically disabled. Ariko learned this early in life, when children begun to manifest their own unique powers, and she hadn't. She wasn't upset at first. In fact, she was quite excited when her childhood best friend Satsuki had developed her quirk, on a sweltering July day.

The two of them were only five years old, and were chasing each other through the neighborhood park. Satsuki was much faster than Ariko, and naturally, she struggled to keep up.

"Wait for me, Sacchan!" she cried.

"Nope! You're the monster, and I have to run away so you don't eat me!"

Ariko had decided that she didn't want to be the monster anymore; the game was never any fun because she could never catch the other little girl. In the end Satsuki always made fun of her for being so slow.

Today was different though.

Satsuki had stopped suddenly, and Ariko ran into her, knocking them both over.

"Ouch! Get off me!"

Before she had time to move Ariko had already been pushed to the ground.

"I'm sorry Sacchan," she mumbled, wiping away the tears that were beginning to form.

"Ew, my hands are so sweaty."

Satsuki wrinkled her nose, her red eyes narrowing. She wiped her hands on her shorts, and when that didn't work, she waved them around, as if that could solve her problem. Ariko didn't say anything, no matter how silly it looked. Surely Satsuki knew what she was doing, right?

Satsuki continued though, until Ariko thought her hands would fall off, when all of a sudden—

POP!

The sound attracted the attention of some nearby children, who came over to see what the commotion was. Smoke rose from Satsuki's palms, and she looked just as surprised as everyone else, until her eyes lit up with realization.

She concentrated a bit, staring at her palms. Then, once again, there was a popping— which reminded Ariko of firecrackers—and mini explosions erupted from Satsuki's hands.

"Wow Sacchan! That's so cool!" Ariko said.

An older boy that Ariko didn't know said, "Ground Zero is your dad right? It makes sense you'd have a quirk like his!"

More kids were surrounding Satsuki now, and Ariko found herself being pushed out of the inner circle, seeing less and less of her explosive friend.

She told her mom about it later, as they sat at their dining room table.

"Of course she would have Katsuki's quirk," she laughed. "They're basically the same person!"

Ariko scooped up some rice with her spoon.

"Mom," she asked. "Do you think my quirk we be as cool as dad's or yours?"

"I'm sure that whatever quirk you have, you'll make it your own!"

"Really mom?" she asked, mouth full of food.

"Of course!"

Ochako smiled. Ariko always liked her mom's smiles. They always seemed to reach her warm brown eyes, and brought comfort.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, Ariko."

Ariko didn't realize it then, but one day, those smiles would get her through the darkest times.

A few months later, Ariko turned six years old. She and those around her waited with baited breath to see what kind of quirk she would manifest. After all, she was the daughter of not only one, but two pro heroes. Surely, her quirk would be as strong as theirs, make her family proud. Yet, days passed, then months. There was nothing.

Still, Ariko was excited for her friend. What kind of friend would she be if she didn't give her her full support? So, Ariko was not only Satsuki's best friend, but also her number one fan. It took her mind off the fact that she wasn't normal, was less-then.

"I'm sure you'll get your quirk one day," Satsuki said as they sat together in the library. "Then we can be heroes like our parents!"

"Yeah!" Ariko replied, a little less excited. She flipped the pages of her book. It was about a girl who flew to the moon by holding on to a bunch of balloons. It was her favorite because it reminded her of her mom, and how she could manipulate gravity. In fact, if her mom wasn't on patrol, she would read the book to Ariko before she went to sleep. (Her dad would sometimes read it too, but it just wasn't the same.) This time, it only reminded her that she didn't have a quirk.

"Until then," Satsuki continued, "Don't play with me when we're around other kids, okay?"

"What? Why?"

"It's just embarrassing being around you since you don't have a quirk, you know."

Tears started falling from Ariko's brown eyes.

"W-why're you being so mean? I thought we were friends, Sacchan."

"I guess not, anymore," she said, and left Ariko there.

"Sorry I'm not cool enough for you Sacchan."

It was the end of an era, albeit a short one. People began to notice the change.

"Hey kiddo," her dad said when she came home alone again for the third time that week. "You haven't been playing with Satsuki for a while."

"Yeah," she said, hoping he wouldn't press her for more answers. But someone had told Izuku, long ago, that it was a hero's job to meddle in others' lives. Why should his own child expect anything different? To Ariko, however, he just looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes from not sleeping in three days. She didn't want to worry him. And besides, her dad was an awesome pro hero! He had bigger problems.

"Is this about your quirk?"

He knelt down, ignoring the soreness in his muscles, and looked into the brown eyes that he loved so much.

"No…"

"Arichan," he said. "If Satsuki is bullying you, then you need to tell someone-"

"Dad, it's not that! We're just taking a break!"

Dad didn't look so convinced, and it was clear that he wasn't going to let it go. But instead of bringing it up again, they watched their favorite superhero movies, and ate katsudon, Ariko curled into Izuku's side.

It was in the middle of an old All Might movie that her dad suddenly spoke again.

"Don't let anyone tell you you're less human because you don't have a quirk, alright?"

She glanced up at him, and was startled to see the most intense look in his green eyes. It was said with such conviction that it seemed like he'd been through that very thing. Ariko could do nothing else but nod.

He brightened up again.

"Besides, the doctor said that you were just a late bloomer! I know it's hard, but the only thing we could do is to be patient."

"I know, but I want to have a quirk already so I could be as cool as you and mom!"

He ruffled her hair, which had once been in a perfect braid. (Ariko had been really proud of it.)

"You messed up my hair!" she whined.

"I think I like it better this way!"

Ariko pouted.

"I meant what I said, Ari-chan," he said, when he'd stopped laughing.

"Okay, dad," though what he said contradicted everything she knew about the world. But that was okay, because they had an All Might movie to watch, and she didn't think about it for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **A/** **N: Hi everyone! This is like my first fanfiction ever, so I'm still getting used to formatting and just general story writing things. Hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ariko woke up to her favorite Uravity poster, and a dull ache behind her eyes. It wasn't so bad; there were worse things, but Ariko would have preferred not to have a headache on the first day of school. Her eyes traveled to the photo that she'd hung right next to the poster. It was one of her, and her mom and dad at a local festival, all three of them with large grins plastered on their faces. Above that one was a drawing she'd had done of her dad in his hero costume. It was pretty messy, as it was drawn by a four year old, but anyone could tell who it was. Above the scribbled on bunny ears was the name "Broccoli Man". Her dad had signed it afterwards, even though she had been embarrassed to show it to him. By his signature, it said, "I see the makings of a great artist! Keep it up!" It made her giddy every time, because even though he was her dad, he was also Number One Hero Deku! (But then she'd remember that he was so cool and she was quirkless, and she suddenly couldn't stand to look at it anymore.)

"Arichan," her mom called. "You're going to be late for school if you don't get out of bed!"

"Okay mom!"

She turned on her lamp, hissing as the light made the throbbing in her head to intensify. In spite of it she couldn't miss the first day of school, so Ariko made her way to the bathroom, practically tore out some of her dark green hair as she ran a brush through it, and changed into her new uniform.

All of this was done with the lights off. After running into the wall a few times, she finally made her way into the kitchen where her mom was cooking breakfast. Her mom had her hair up in a messy bun, and was wearing workout clothes. Ariko didn't know how she did it, waking up practically in the middle of the night to _exercise._ (Really, it was just 5:30 AM.)

"Good morning, Arichan! Are you ready for your first day of middle school?"

She received a groan in response. Ochako laughed; the girl reminded her so much of her husband, who she was still so in love with after all these years.

"Sorry, I don't speak zombie," she replied.

"No, I'm not ready for my first day of middle school."

Ariko rested her head on the table, trying to keep the light out of her eyes.

"Arichan, are you alright?"

"My head hurts," she mumbled.

"Oh, baby, do you want some tea? Here, take your breakfast! Are you well enough to go to school?"

Her mom rushed around the kitchen in a frenzy, leaving no room for Ariko to answer. Besides, her mom wouldn't take no for an answer either anyways.

The tea did help at least. After drinking it, her head felt the same as it did when she woke up. Crisis avoided for now. She didn't know how she could survive without her mom.

"Oh, you look so _cute_!" Ochako said, after braiding Ariko's shoulder-length hair into pigtails. To complete the look, her mom placed a red headband with a small bow at the crown of her head.

"Like that girl, Madoka was it, from that anime you like so much!" Ochako had remarked, when they were out shopping one day, and Ariko had spotted that very same headband. Her mom didn't hesitate to buy it for her.

"Now, I think you're ready!"

"Right! Thanks mom!"

Ariko was hugged from behind.

"You've grown up so fast. It was only yesterday that you were pulling on your dad's hair and learning how to walk."

She couldn't see her face, but Ariko knew that her mother was trying to hold back tears.

"I wish your father was here to see you in your uniform but he's-"

"At work, I know."

She looked up at her mom, and realized she probably shouldn't have said anything, especially since she couldn't quite hide the bitterness that leaked into her words.

"I'm sorry, mom. I know you guys work hard."

"Don't be."

Ariko felt a hand squeeze her shoulder.

"You can't always help feeling the way you feel."

"Thanks mom," she replied, appreciating her mom's patience, yet wishing she wouldn't look at her with such pity.

It was almost 7:30, so they broke the embrace, the atmosphere feeling almost colder than before. Ariko scrambled around for all of her school supplies, barely remembering her sketchbook, and nearly sprinted out the door before her mom stopped her to take a picture of her in her uniform.

"It's for your dad!" she said.

"Okay! Okay! Bye mom!"

Ariko rushed down the street as fast as she could without making her head hurt worse than a four out of ten.

Ariko arrived to school with fifteen minutes to spare, and she was pretty impressed with herself. She sat down in a desk near the back corner of class 1-C's classroom, and pulled out her sketchbook to the next empty page, thinking about what to draw next. She had at least 15 of her dad in multiple variations of his costume. She had about 20 drawings of her mom. There were a quite a few of Uncle Kacchan in all of his angry, explosive glory.

Perhaps it was time to broaden her horizons, but there were so many possibilities. Ariko sighed, watching her new classmates trickle into the room. They looked like normal junior high students. All of them, except one girl.

Said girl had a normal human body, but her head was that of a grey tabby with deep blue eyes. A grey tail peeked out from behind her. Ariko knew what she was going to draw.

She was halfway through the girl's head, when she heard someone sit in the desk next to her and clear their throat.

"Um… e-excuse me?"

The voice was gentle, and it made Ariko think of the wisps of smoke left behind after one blew out a candle, or maybe the soft trickling of the stream that she and Satsuki used to visit all the time. It was a pretty voice, and she decided that she liked it very much.

Ariko looked up from her drawing, towards the speaker.

It was the cat-girl that she was drawing!

"H-hi! I noticed that you were drawing me…" she said, ears flattened against her head.

Ariko's face flushed scarlet. She hadn't bothered to ask the girl if she could draw her. Ariko suddenly felt very rude.

"Oh! I'm um, I'm really sorry! If you want me to get rid of it then I can!"

"No, no! I think it's really nice! No one's ever drawn me before."

Ariko let out a deep breath.

"I could give it to you, when I'm done!"

The other girl's ears perked up, her blue eyes widening a fraction.

"R-really? That's so nice!"

It was then that their homeroom teacher walked in, a severe looking woman that struck fear into everyone in the room. There was something about her, the way she looked at all of the students, that made them feel like she could read their minds. Perhaps that's what her quirk was? She glanced over in Ariko's direction; Ariko quickly closed her sketchbook. At the same time, her headache went from a four out of ten to about a seven. Ariko's hands clenched into fists under the table.

"I'm Fujioka Etsuko," she said, writing her name on the whiteboard.

"Mediocre work is inexcusable," she said after reciting what seemed like a tome of rules. "After all, you will be high schoolers three years. I look forward to teaching you this year."

The girl next to her bared her canines in what Ariko assumed was a grimace. She also hadn't thought about high school. Maybe they could bond over that, and Ariko wouldn't feel so lonely.

Maybe she could have a real friend again.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi everyone! Hope you liked this chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Wow! You drew all that in only ten minutes?"

"Y-yeah!"

Ariko had nearly finished the drawing of the other girl, who sat next to her at a table near the back of the cafeteria. Ariko has decided that it would be clever to draw the other girl in a catsuit. At the bottom she had written, "Kitty Cat Hero: Neko". It was the best she could come up with.

"You're really going to let me keep it?"

"Of course!"

Ariko's new friend pulled out her lunch, a bento box with rice, some vegetables, and spicy tuna.

The girl gave thanks, licked her lips and dug in. It was actually adorable, or maybe it was the fact that Ariko really liked cats. She briefly wondered how Uncle Shouto and Hideyo would react, and smiled. Would they try to pet her head? Try to play with her? Would she even react to cat toys? Would it be a bad thing if she tried to test her hypothesis? Would it be a breach of human rights?

Ariko pulled out her lunch too, some pork dumplings and miso soup.

"I'm Midoriya Ariko," she said, realizing they never had each other their names.

The girl jumped a little.

"Oh! D-do your parents happen to be pro heros?"

The girl's ears perked up again, and her tail waved back and forth.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay…" Her voice got quieter, if that was even possible. "I won't bring it up too much."

"My name is Tachibana Chisato! It's nice to meet you, Midoriya Ariko!"

"It's nice to meet you too!"

Yes, Ariko decided, it was nice to have a friend again.

"So…" Tachibana began. "Why don't you want anyone to know about your parents?"

"Well…"

Ariko paused. She hadn't really thought of the reason why. Maybe it was because they were at a level she could never reach. Sometimes she didn't think of them as her parents because of it. She knew it would hurt them if they knew what she was thinking, and she tried to swallow down her resentment.

"I just don't want people to think of them when they see me. I want to be my own person, I guess."

Ariko picked up her chopsticks and mumbled a quick "itadakimasu" and struggled to pick up a dumpling. Her hands were shakier than she remembered, but she managed to successfully get a dumpling into her mouth.

"I see," Tachibana mused. "You have a lot to live up to…"

"Yeah," Ariko replied. She dropped another dumpling, and sighed. Eating wasn't this hard earlier, was it?

"Umm, are y-you okay?"

"Not really. My head has been hurting all morning…"

It was at that moment that Satsuki sauntered over, planting herself at their table.

"You look like shit," she said. And Ariko wouldn't have used those words, but she agreed. She couldn't see herself, but she probably looked as awful as she felt. Now that Satsuki was here, it seemed like someone was hitting her in the head with a hammer.

"Hi Sacchan…" she mumbled.

"Don't call me by that dumbass name. We're not four anymore."

Ariko didn't, couldn't answer.

"Whatever. Where's my lunch?"

"I forgot to get it for you."

"I didn't think you were this stupid. Didn't you remember the deal we had?"

Said deal wasn't really a deal, or more of a one-sided one. Basically, Satsuki had threatened to burn her sketchbook, the one that Ariko had gotten for her birthday that year. It was that very same sketchbook that had the drawing of Tachibana in it.

Tachibana cut in before Ariko could say anything.

"S-she doesn't have to get you anything!"

Satsuki narrowed her cruel red eyes at Tachibana, who was beginning to bristle.

"Aw, are you Ariko's new friend? Did she tell you that she's a quirkless freak?"

And there it was. This always happened! She would make friends with someone, and Satsuki would tear the seed out of the ground before it could even begin to grow. Ariko didn't want to say that she hated her, but it was the closest she'd ever been to hating another person in her entire life.

Now, her head was ready to burst, and she felt something trickle out of her nose.

"Ariko! Your nose is bleeding! Are you okay?"

Her new friend's gentle voice broke into her thoughts.

"I'm fine, I think…"

"And you!"

She pointed at Satsuki; it reminded Ariko of when her mom would scold Uncle Kacchan. She would have laughed, but she was still shocked that Tachibana-no Chisato- was telling standing up to Bakugou Satsuki. It was completely breaking the status quo. One didn't just do that and live.

"Your actions are going to catch up to you one day!"

Satsuki glared, explosions erupting from her hands.

"Who the hell are you to lecture me? Do you know who I _am_?"

"I do, and I don't think your parents would like your behavior very much, Bakugou Satsuki."

Her palms fizzled out, and she straightened up, the murderous look still on her face.

" _Fine_ , but this isn't over."

Satsuki gave Ariko a pointed look.

"And if you're feeling fucking sick then you should be in nurse, not spreading your germs."

And she walked away.

"I didn't want blood in my food anyway," she grumbled.

 _What_ just happened?

"Who _are_ you?" Ariko whispered, wiping her nose with a napkin.

"Ah, what do you mean?"

"You made her go away without having to fight her. And your personality changed too!"

Chisato laughed.

"N-not that there was anything wrong with that!"

"I get defensive when it comes to my friends."

"You still want to be my friend?"

"Of course! The fact that you don't have a quirk doesn't make you less human!"

Ariko felt tears spring to her eyes. That reminded her so much of something said years ago. Something that she tried and failed to remind herself of.

"Ariko! Are you crying?"

She nodded.

"My dad told me that a few years ago. It's like, what would he know about that kind of thing? He's so strong, and-"

She paused, unable to finish.

Chisato pulled her into a hug, and Ariko was pleasantly surprised to find that it was just as pleasant as hugging a regular cat.

Neither of them noticed the pair of red eyes the watched them across the room, full of an expression that was difficult to place.

-0-0-0-

"What's your family like Chisato? Oh! And is it okay to call you that?"

"Of course! We're friends now after all."

After that, she hesitated, scratching behind her ear.

"Well… my parents are both part cat, like me. Right now I'm mostly raised by my mom, and my dad…"

Chisato stared at the ground, refusing to meet Ariko's eyes. Ariko wanted to press her for an answer, but perhaps it was just not something for her to know.

"My dad's not really around."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be! I guess it just is what it is. If I think about it too much, I'll just become bitter. That's what mama says."

Ariko couldn't imagine the sweet girl ever being bitter at anyone, but then again, she couldn't ever imagine her standing her ground against Satsuki.

"Your mom sounds really smart. I feel like our moms would like each other."

Chisato smiled, her eyes reflecting the late afternoon light.

"Yes, I feel like that too!"

The two of them walked in a comfortable silence, taking in the buildings and people around them. A little kid rode past on his tricycle.

"Wow! A cat!" he said, before peddling away.

Chisako didn't seem to mind.

"It happens all the time."

They continued on until they reached Ariko's street.

"Here! Let's exchange numbers," Chisato said, letting out a small meow.

Ariko nearly died; it was so cute!

"Y-yeah!"

"I'll text you later, then," Chisato said, after they handed each other their phones.

After that, they parted ways, Ariko humming as she went. It had been a good first day, a sort of weird one, but good one. The headache had finally gone away too, leaving Ariko feeling like she could take on a gang of villains.

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.


	4. Chapter 4

_I don't think your parents would like your behavior very much._

"Who the hell does she think she is?" Satsuki grumbled to herself as she got lunch _herself_ that day.

After waiting in the line that Ariko should have been in, Satsuki sat down at a table with the group of lackeys that she had somehow already amassed for herself. They were pretty lame, she decided. She knew a lot of them from elementary school. Others had learned who she was, and jumped at the chance to be around her, as if her perceived coolness would rub off on them, or to get an autograph from her parents.

So shallow. She didn't mind it. Or at least she didn't think so. She was basically their queen after all.

A girl sat down next to her, an aura of arrogance that Satsuki couldn't stand. The girl smiled, and stretched out her hand toward her.

"Hello," she said, her voice sickly sweet. "My name is Nakamura Tsubomi. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Sure, whatever," Satsuki replied, not returning her handshake.

"Hmph!"

Satsuki thought that would be the last of it, and she would be left in peace. After all, she was already in a bad mood, her ego nearly smashed.

"My family has enough money to buy you! You-"

"Listen, I literally don't give a crap."

The girl had begun a tangent, obviously not used to someone not bending over backwards for her.

Satsuki ignored her, her attention somewhere else. Across the room was Ariko and her stupid friend, who seemed not to care that the other girl was quirkless. It was irritating, seeing them all _happy_. It was when they hugged that something inside Satsuki broke. She would never have a friendship like that, because everyone saw her as almost a god. Because she pushed away the one that actually saw her as a friend.

 _Maybe if you woman up and apologize to her, you would be happy._

It sounded suspiciously like something her dad would say, and she didn't need that right now. Besides, if she did apologize and become friends with Ariko again, she wouldn't be cool anymore. The image she had worked so hard to build would come crumbling down.

The other girl, Tsunami, was _still_ talking, unaware of Satsuki's inner struggle. Satsuki pulled out her phone from her bag, even though it was off-limits.

There was a message from her mom.

7:30 AM - Good morning, sweety! Hope you have a lit first day at school! I'm sorry that we couldn't be there to see you off

Below it was a sad emoji, and below _that_ was a bunch of heart gifs and a bunch of memes that she had made of her dad.

 _I don't think your parents would like your behavior very much._

The words played on repeat in her head, until she excused herself from the table of annoying extras. When she had left the vicinity, she all but ran to restroom and locked herself in a stall.

The stupid cat girl had the gall to bring her parents into it. If her parents were here, they would understand that everything she did was to make them proud. That included getting rid of weak people like Ariko. At least, that's what she told herself.

Satsuki felt tears stream down her face.

This is stupid, she thought. She hadn't cried in months. Why now, on her first day of middle school? Her deep labored breaths somehow became sobs that wracked through her body.

What the _hell_?

She heard the door to the bathroom open, and she held her breath, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't know she was crying. She wanted to stay there, but class was starting soon. Satsuki opened the stall and walked over to a sink, trying to ignore the girl who was only two sinks away.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked.

Satsuki took the moment to size her up. The girl didn't look like anything special. She was average height, average build, had an average face. The only thing that stood out were the flowers that were growing from her head. She had a pair of scissors, and looked like she was about to cut them off.

"None of your business, loser," she replied, not appreciating how her weakness was on such display.

"Okay then. If you need to talk to anyone, then my name is Kageyama Michiko. We're in the same class."

With that, Kageyama walked out of the bathroom, leaving flower stems in the sink. What was with everyone today?

-0-0-0-

Her mom and dad were still not home when she got back, so Satsuki took this as her opportunity to eat michi for dinner, at least until she saw the note on the fridge.

 _Left behind some curry for you to heat up. And for the love of God, don't eat mochi for dinner._

 _-Dad (and mom! 3)_

He didn't say that she couldn't eat it for dessert though. Satsuki heated up her curry (super spicy the way she liked it), and sat down at the nearly empty dining room table. Sometimes she missed her parents when they didn't come home for dinner, and was worried that they might never come home. She never admitted it to anyone.

Besides, her parents were pro heros, top heroes at that. They wouldn't just _die,_ right?

They couldn't.

Satsuki cleared away her dishes and went to her room to start on homework, bringing some mochi with her to her desk.

Her math homework started her in the face, and she stared back. Eating a whole plate of mochi seemed much more fun. Well, anything seemed more fun, including taking a dive off the roof. Instead of doing that though, she ate until the plate was mochi-free, and she felt her eyes begin to drop closed.

A small nap couldn't hurt, she decided.

-0-0-0-

Satsuki could feel the sun radiate off the asphalt. Her palms were slippery with sweat, a sickly burnt sugar smell hitting her nose. Her hands ached, and the mochi she held did little to soothe her. Next to her on the bench she was sitting on (when the hell did she sit down?) was another girl with dark green hair, and a pair of warm brown eyes. She was also wearing a shiny lace headband which glistened like a ruby in the sun.

Satsuki held out her bag towards her, wordlessly offering her some of her frozen treats. She remembered that her dad had told her that decent human beings weren't stingy with what they had and Satsuki had decided to maybe, finally, be one of those. However, Ariko didn't accept it, but neither did she refuse. In fact, she didn't react at all. If one looked closely, Ariko looked kind of like a paper doll, almost lifeless.

But, Satsuki decided, it was probably just a trick of the light. And besides, it was so very hot outside.

"Suit yourself," she said, unusually calm.

They sat there, people-watching. At first, Satsuki thought she was crazy, but upon further observation, she could see that many of the people that walked by were also made of paper. Paper children played games of Hero vs Villain. Paper adults rushed back to work after their lunch breaks, and she also saw other paper people walking paper dogs.

Satsuki was the only one made of flesh and blood, the only unreal person in this paper world.

Her hands began to burn, and she itched for relief, to release her quirk into the air, but if she did, she ran the risk of destroying the people their paper buildings and their paper dogs.

"Ariko," she said. Ariko still didn't answer.

"Ariko, you bitch, answer me!"

By now, her mochi had melted, and her palms hurt even more than before.

"Ariko, help me," she nearly sobbed, even though there was no way for her to help. After all, she was quirkless.

"If you don't help me, everyone is going to die, and it'll be your fault!"

Finally, Ariko turned to her and opened her mouth to speak, but instead it sounded like the static from an old TV. Satsuki didn't exactly know why, but at that moment, she let out a piercing scream. At the same time, the most powerful explosions she'd ever created erupted from her hands. The blast annihilated everything in its path, reducing the paper people, and everything else to ashes.

All that was left of Ariko was her ruby-red headband.

And when Satsuki woke up, all she could think about was how she may have damaged her old best friend beyond repair.

 **A/N: Yeah, not the best at writing dream sequences, but regardless, I hope you're enjoying the story lol**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ariko?"

Chisato took a sip of her soda, which was rapidly beginning to condensate on the sides. It had only been about two weeks since school started, but Ariko was already looking forward to cooler weather.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"If… if someone has wronged you in some way, do you think you should forgive them?"

Ariko tapped the seat of the bench they were sitting on. Around them, other school children mingled before going home.

"Hm…"

She thought about all the teasing that came from being quirkless, how she was made to believe that she was some kind of freak. And she remembered the time when Satsuki used to hit her, burn her hair. At least she did, until their parents noticed something was off. After that, the bullying was more psychological. One of Satsuki's favorite things to tell Ariko was, "It would be better if you were dead," or some variation of that. Ariko didn't hate her per say, but…

How would she answer Chisato's question when she herself didn't know?

"I don't know."

Chisato wiped her hands on her skirt.

"It's okay. I've just been thinking about it for a while."

"Are you okay?"

"Well-"

Before she could complete her sentence, a soccer ball flew right toward Ariko, and hit her smack-dab in the middle of the face. The perpetrator, a slender girl with black hair, ran over to fetch the ball. Ariko recognized her from the group that always followed Satsuki around, and she sensed trouble brewing. For some reason, the headache that had been haunting her for days flared up. Did she have a concussion?

"You did that on purpose, Nakamura."

Chisato's ears were back, and her fur bristled.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"That doesn't matter. What you did was very unladylike."

It didn't matter how gentle her voice was, but her ability to put people to shame anyways impressed Ariko, as well as her willingness to protect the weak. She would make a great hero, something Ariko wasn't sure she was able to do, not wanted to be.

The girl turned her attention to her.

"Sorry, I forget that you're quirkless."

She flipped her black hair over her shoulder.

"But even for a quirkless person, you're still really pathetic. Like, you can't even defend yourself against a ball. lmagine if your parents were here. They'd be so ashamed."

Ariko's eyes watered. She wanted to stand up for herself, but she was petrified. By then some of Satsuki's other lackeys were surrounding them, but Satsuki herself wasn't there. Strange, she wouldn't usually miss public Ariko shaming hour.

"Don't listen to her Ariko."

Chisato's voice was drowned out by Nakamura's. It didn't help that her head was about to explode.

"Your parents probably wish that you were never born, and I don't blame them. Especially your dad. He's like so hot and somehow he got you-"

That's when the dam inside Ariko broke and something she couldn't explain burst forth.

"Don't talk about my dad like that!"

She was tired, so tired of being quirkless, being useless.

"I don't understand what I did to deserve any of this! I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't ask to be born like this!"

Some windows on the first floor of the school shattered, and Nakamura's skirt fell and pooled around her ankles. She screamed, pulled up her skirt, and ran, her face as red as a tomato.

"You gross pervert!"

Ariko tried to say sorry, even though she wasn't exactly sure what she did, but Nakamura had disappeared into the school. The large group of people that had gathered had also dispersed, afraid that they might also lose their pants. Well, all except one girl, who had flowers growing from her head, and Chisato.

"Wow…"

She stepped forward without fear, a small smile on her face, as if she hadn't seen anything that had taken place.

"That's a pretty nice quirk you got there."

"I… I don't have a quirk?"

"But," Chisato spoke up again, her tail moving back and forth, not quite sure how she felt. "What's all this?"

She gestured to all of the broken glass that littered the ground.

"Um…"

"And how did Nakamura's skirt fall down? It wasn't a ghost."

"I, oh man, I hope I didn't hurt anyone."

"You hurt Nakamura's pride. Good job."

"Oh my God."

Ariko sank down to the ground, making sure there was no glass, and sat down. The adrenaline rush she felt at standing up for herself had left her body. Now, she was left an anxious shell.

"I didn't think it would happen like this…"

It was slightly hard to breathe, and Ariko felt her whole body tremble. Her head didn't hurt as much anymore, as if whatever she did soothed the ache. Still, her nose was bleeding profusely, and she felt her stomach heave. Black spots invaded her vision as she threw up her lunch.

"You look like you could use some chamomile tea. My mom makes the best."

"Does it look like she needs tea right now? She needs the nurse."

Ariko felt a hand around her arm.

"Can you stand?" Chisato asked.

"I-I think so."

Her friend helped her to her feet, and they headed indoors.

"I'm so hungry," Ariko groaned.

"Of course you are! You just threw up!"

"No, but I'm super hungry. Not just normal hungry!"

Chisato sighed.

"Let's just get you to the nurse."

Before they had the chance, the Principal's no-nonsense voice chimed in over the intercom.

"Midoriya Ariko, please report to the principal's office."

-0-0-0-

"Please, Miss Midoriya, tell me your side of the story."

Principal Ito gazed at her expectantly, but she didn't know what she could tell him. Nakamura made her angry, thus causing her to somehow shatter all the first story windows? Would he believe that?

"Um," she started. "I got hit in the face with a soccer ball, and I guess it just… caused my quirk to activate?"

Her voice wavered near the end. Ariko was afraid that she might vomit again, or break another window.

"I thought you didn't have a quirk, Midoriya."

"The doctor said that I was just a late bloomer…"

Principal Ito cleared his throat.

"I see…"

"Wait! She has to pay for publicly humiliating me!"

"Miss Nakamura, please don't interrupt." He gave her a pointed look. Nakamura closed her mouth, but she still looked outraged.

"Now, Miss Midoriya, you know that I must make a call to your parents to discuss how we will pay for the damaged you caused with your quirk."

"I understand sir," she murmured.

"Miss Nakamura."

The girl perked up, ready for Ariko's retribution.

"You may leave."

Nakamura gave her one last glare and walked out.

"Young lady," the principal said, turning his attention back to Ariko.

"Was that all there was to your story? Are you telling the whole truth?"

She hesitated.

"Yes sir."

"Because if you're being bullied, then it is important for me to know. I know that being quirkless must be… hard. Though, I don't believe that will necessarily be a problem anymore."

"I understand, sir."

He took in her sickly appearance, the pale skin, the drops of dried blood on her shirt.

"You may leave," the principal said. "Go home; get some rest."

She got up, bowed, and walked out on unsteady legs. She had told Chisato and the other girl (she still didn't know her name) that they could head home without her. In return, she promised to go to the nurse. However, she didn't sense anything wa amiss, so she began her lonely trek home. She was glad for the quiet, though. She needed time to process everything. Ariko held out her pointer finger at a small rock that she had kicked with her foot.

"Lift!"

It didn't budge.

"Up!"

Nothing happened. She concentrated all of her willpower onto the rock. At first, it didn't move, but after a few moments, it finally made its way off the ground. Ariko held it there until she became too tired, which was about after five seconds. Still, it was something. Was this what having a quirk was like? Ariko felt a giddiness that she hadn't experienced in a long time. Maybe, she could finally be normal. Maybe, Satsuki would finally stop hurting her. She could make her parents proud, instead ashamed of her.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello my dudes! Hope you're enjoying so far! Feel free to leave a comment if you like my story (or if you hate it) because I'm just a simple boi that thrives off of validation. Also, it would be nice to interact with readers every once in a while. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

The bright computer screen glared back at Ariko, who had forsaken homework in favor of watching old videos of her parents fighting off villains or rescuing civilians. There were some videos from the UA sports festival back when her parents were still in high school. Everyone was so young, but yet so full of promise. If she were to apply to get into UA, people would expect so much from her, and Ariko wasn't sure she could handle the pressure. She could barely lift a pebble with her mind. Instead, she decided to Google more information about her quirk.

 _Telekinesis is the ability to manipulate objects and matter with one's mind. Also called mind-over-matter, psychokinesis (PK). (From Quirk Wiki)_

In addition to that, users of her quirk could create force fields, fly at supersonic speeds, manipulate electromagnetic fields, etc. Most of it was theoretical. There wasn't anyone in the real world that could do many of those things. Much of it came from the imagination of comic book artists and Hollywood. Besides, when would she need so much power? Ariko concentrated on her sketchbook, which was across the room on her bed. It levitated off her bed under the force of an invisible hand. The book gently floated over to her.

"I can't wait to show Mom and Dad this!"

But, it was getting close to midnight and they still weren't home. There had been no calls either, so they probably didn't know about the hefty bill they'd have to pay for all of the property damage she'd caused. Ariko sighed and went to the kitchen in search of food. The cupboards were a wasteland. Mom was supposed to go grocery shopping but hadn't had the chance. All that was left was some instant ramen. She wasn't really that hungry anyway. At least, that was what she thought before her stomach let forth an angry growl.

Ramen wasn't too enticing, and though it was the middle of the night, Ariko was enticed by the thought of convenience store food. It wasn't a good idea to go out so late, but her stomach was a black hole prepared to swallow all in its sight. A fog settled in her brain as she ambled out the door. It was the first time that she had ever snuck out of the house, and she felt the guilt knaw at her, but there was something nice outside… something that she needed to see. In fact, once she found it, she wouldn't be hungry anymore.

It felt almost as if she were floating as she walked down the street. At one point, everything seemed to blur together, until the only thing Ariko could register was the light from the full moon. Soon, she thought that she really _was_ floating. Her feet weren't touching the ground, and when she looked down, her slippers were missing. Still, it was nice. It made her just that closer to being truly weightless. Her heartbeat quickened in her chest, and butterflies fluttered around in her stomach as she floated above the trees.

Finally, Ariko approached an abandoned factory building that she walked by on her way to school. In a normal situation, the building freaked her out. She swore it was haunted. There was no evidence for it, and she hadn't wanted to go inside to confirm her theory. But now, it's outward appearance didn't matter. What she wanted was on the inside. As she approached, she saw that she wasn't alone. By the door, stood a girl who seemed to be a few years older than her. She seemed… sad. It was the best word that Ariko could come up with as she fought to keep her concentration.

Beside her was another girl that Ariko had seen before. She could recognize that spiky blonde hair anywhere. Ariko felt her body fall back toward the ground-so she _was_ floating-and she unconsciously activated her quirk. She landed on her hands and knees, irritation filling her at the thought of her happiness being ruined yet again.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked, her voice dripping with acid.

"None of your fucking business," Satsuki answered, voice lacking its usual bite. She avoided Ariko's eyes like she had done something she was ashamed of.

"But if you must know, I was having a bad dream and wanted to go for a walk."

That was a weird reason for a twelve-year-old to leave her house at almost one in the morning, but Ariko was also out at the same time. Why _was_ she out right now? Satsuki seemed to gain her composure a bit. Her hands lit up with sparks, as she glanced around, a scowl on her face.

Noticing their hesitation, the older girl approached them. Ariko had almost forgotten that she was there.

"I know you two. You're first years at Akamine Junior High, right?"

"What's it to you?" Satsuki said. The girl twirled her pale purple hair around a delicate finger.

"Nothing. It's just nice to see familiar faces. My name is Kobayashi Sakura, by the way."

"Right…"

"Don't you want to go inside?" Kobayashi asked.

"Like hell I do! Ariko, let's go-"

But she was already approaching the building, entranced by a heavenly smell. Was that _katsudon_? She hadn't had it in so long! Her dad could make it the best, but he was so busy with work lately that he didn't have any time to make it.

 _He doesn't really have much time at all, doesn't he,_ Ariko thought. Like a girl possessed, Ariko strode toward the dark building. Satsuki's yelling was drowned out by her strong desire for… _something._ But Ariko wasn't really sure what that something was.

It was pitch black inside the building, save for the light from the street lights that filtered in through the broken windows. Ariko didn't need any light though. She knew exactly where to go. She followed the smell up some rickety metal stairs to a long hallway. Rooms on either side lay nearly empty, except for a lone machine or two. She tried to imagine what it would have looked like with people, but it was difficult when the building was so dead.

At the end of the hallway was a green double door that was adorned with brass handles. _Why do they look brand new_ , her subconscious supplied. That didn't matter, though. The smell was coming through that door. Ariko pushed the door open, and the delicious scent increased tenfold.

Instead of hard floor, her feet hit soft green carpet. Scattered around the room was an assortment of pillows, some large enough for eleven-year-olds girls to sink into. There were also canvases, tubes of paint, and other art supplies organized on shelves in one corner of the room. In another corner was a telescope that was pointed out the window. The sky here was also different. Thousands of stars that Ariko had never seen before dotted the dark blue sky. Ariko wanted nothing more but to look at all of them, but the katsudon that she had smelled was beckoning to her from a low table in the center of the room.

She ran, not bothering to take off her shoes and plopped down on a pillow beside the table. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she dug in. Memories of eating with her parents floated into her mind as she ate fill. Ariko remembered going to various festivals with them, playing on the beach, riding on her dad's strong shoulders, and she never wanted the moment to end. But then, there were the looks of pity, the looks of shame. She saw the disappointment on her parent's face as she failed to develop a quirk.

She remembered the whispers, the notes from Satsuki telling her to kill herself. Would things really change, now that she had a quirk? If people couldn't like her before, could they like her for real now? The tears of joy became bitter ones. Trembling, she picked up the half-eaten bowl of katsudon and threw it across the room.

Ariko suddenly felt sick, like she'd just eaten poison. The nice room she had been in morphed back into an abandoned office and the sky outside the windows was a light pink. The worst part of it all was that there wasn't actual katsudon. All that she was left with was a strange hollowness, that just her wanting to sleep. She would have done so, but the sound of Satsuki's loud footsteps prevented her from doing so.

"What the hell? I've been looking for you for hours!"

"You could have just gone home Sacchan- I mean, Satsuki."

"I may be a bitch, but I'm not going to just leave you in a sketchy as hell building by yourself."

"What time is it?" Ariko asked, in a daze.

"How the fuck should I know? I don't have my phone. I just kinda left my house for some reason."

"I- I was hungry and I left my house. I showed up here somehow."

"That's a dumbass reason to leave your house in the middle of the night."

Ariko didn't think so, but she didn't want to argue, especially not when she was beginning to process where she was and what had happened. It wasn't a dream. It was… too real, much too real. But at the same time, it felt like a complete ruse, like someone didn't know what reality was and tried to piece together a world of their own based on what little they knew.

"The old geezer is going to murder me if he finds out that I've been out all night. Let's get the hell outta here."

Satsuki grabbed her hand, and Ariko, who was too groggy to question why Satsuki suddenly cared about her wellbeing, let herself be dragged along. Right after they had gone down the stairs and out the door, something important was brought to Ariko's attention.

"Where's that older girl that was here earlier?!"

"Who cares? She was weird and creepy. Now, let's go before our parents get home."

Satsuki pulled Ariko along, and Ariko was glad no one was out. They probably were a sight. After all, they were still in their pajamas, and Ariko was missing her shoes.

They had nearly made it to their neighborhood when a police car pulled up beside them.

"Dammit!" Satsuki groaned. The passenger side window rolled down. Behind the window was Number 3 Pro Hero Ground Zero, A.K.A Satsuki's dad, and who Ariko referred to as Uncle Kacchan.

"Get. In. The. Fucking. Car."

" _Language_ ," Satsuki said but was cut off by Katsuki's withering glare. Even she knew not to mess with an angry Bakugou Katsuki. They wordlessly got into the car.

* * *

 **A/N: One day, I'll hit 2k words. One day. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I wrote it instead of sleeping lol.**


	7. Chapter 7

Ariko was still hungry when the police officer dropped them off at her house. On top of that, a sleepless night was beginning to catch up with her. The clock on the dashboard read, "seven-thirty". That meant that Ariko hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours. However, lack of sleep and hunger were the least of her problems. Mom was the first to emerge from the house. A look of relief crossed her face and she noticeably relaxed. But that only lasted for a split second. Before Ariko could blink, a look of such fury crossed her mom's face that she wondered if the woman was human, or had just ascended from the depths of Hell itself.

Ochako stomped up to her and clutched Ariko's shoulders.

"What were you _thinking_ , leaving the house in the middle of the night? If it weren't potentially child abuse I'd lock you up in your room until high school! You didn't even lock the door or turn off the lights! On top of that, what is this about you shattering all the windows at school? Do you know how much money that will cost-"

Ariko's stomach growled, and her mom abruptly stopped shaking her.

"Oh! Are you hungry? Your dad's making breakfast!"

"Is she seriously hungry right now?" Satsuki said.

Ochako turned to the Bakugous, who had been watching the exchange from afar.

"Do you want to join us, Katsuki?"

He considered it for a moment and then shook his head.

"Knowing him, it'll probably be bland as hell. Can't handle spice to save his life. Besides, I need to get this gremlin home before she gets into more trouble."

"Excuse you, you old geezer, I'm a fucking saint-"

" _Language_ ," he replied with a smirk.

"Shut up." Satsuki sulked but said nothing else as her dad gave a small wave. They disappeared down the road a few moments later.

"Come on. I don't want you to starve to death."

Relief flooded her mom's smile as she Ariko inside where her dad was adding the final touches to their katsudon. It was like a dream come true. The smell of fried pork filled her nose, and Ariko felt her mouth water. Her dad turned to them when they crossed the threshold into the kitchen.

"Ari-chan!"

He rushed over and gave her a crushing hug, nearly lifting her off the ground.

"Where have you been? We were so worried about you!"

"Ah, well…"

"And your principle called yesterday! I wish we could have been there to see you use your quirk! Of course, the damage done to the windows will cost thousands of yen, but I'm sure we have enough… And then we should probably teach you how to control your quirk…"

He went off into one of his usual tangents until Ochako cleared her throat.

"Deku, maybe we should talk about this over breakfast?"

"Heh, right."

He smiled sheepishly and let go of Ariko. The three of them sat down at the dining room table, where bowls of katsudon were waiting for them. Ariko gave thanks and prepared to dig in, but she ran into a slight problem when she picked up her spoon. She might have noticed it earlier, but she hadn't eaten since lunchtime the previous day. Her spoon simply didn't want to cooperate. Before her food could reach her mouth, the spoon bent in half, spilling its contents on the tabletop. Ariko put her spoon down, realizing that any further attempts were vain.

Her parents watched in stunned silence as Ariko groaned in frustration.

"I just wanted katsudon!" she cried.

Her dad picked up the spoon, bending it back into its original shape.

"Well, that's certainly better than breaking your bones every time you use your quirk."

He and Ochako shared a look, one that was full of nostalgia and also… something else. It was like they had a secret that only they knew.

"I'll have to tell you about it one day, Ari-chan."

She had a feeling that the story was so much deeper than broken bones, but she decided not to pry. Anyways, her dad had taken on a serious countenance, something she rarely saw outside of his hero fights.

"Why did you leave in the middle of the night, Ariko?"

She paused, and the food she attempted to float out of her bowl fell to the table, the pile of mush doubling in size.

"I… I don't know?"

"You don't know?"

"I was just really hungry for some reason, and then I just left?"

"You left because you were hungry?" her mom asked and Ariko nodded.

"That's not like you… You usually have more common sense than that," her dad said. Ariko flushed.

"Where would you even go at midnight?" he continued. "And you could have been hurt, or kidnapped. What would have happened if we hadn't gotten home when we did?"

He ran a hand through his curls and sighed

"I don't know! I was just really hungry and I just kinda walked around and I ended up at that weird abandoned building and then it was morning and I was _still_ hungry."

Would they have cared as much if she was quirkless? She pushed the thought away as soon as it popped into her head.

Her dad looked more thoughtful now, like something about this whole thing was suspicious. At least, it was more suspicious than it already was.

"You don't remember…"

"Deku?" her mom looked worried.

"It's nothing. I need to call Kacchan"

Her dad smiled an uneasy smile.

"Get some rest, okay, Ari-chan?"

"Wait, what's going on?"

He left the kitchen with his phone in hand, his katsudon nearly untouched. Her mom kissed her forehead and followed him. Ariko assumed it was to talk about more secret things. She picked up her spoon and scooped up some food. She was pleased when it didn't bend. The taste of the pork and egg exploded in her mouth, a delicious mix of flavors. _Finally._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Satsuki had felt weird since The Incident. It had only been two days, so it was to be expected. Still, when she walked home after school on Monday, things were just… off? Sometimes, there were shadows right outside of her vision. Other times she would try to open a door or walk into a room, and she would be in another place. A better place. She couldn't explain it exactly. People had begun to notice the change in her demeanor. Her steps seemed sluggish, and her usually alert ruby eyes were unfocused.

"You sure you're okay?" her dad asked.

"Yeah, you're lookin' pretty out of it!" her mom added.

"I'm fine," Satsuki replied and went up to her room. It was impeccable, bed made, desk organized. All of her books, some high-school level, were arranged in alphabetical order on her shelf. There were no dirty clothes in sight. Usually, her neat room was a source of pride, but right now she needed to find something. Buried deep in her junk drawer was a folded up piece of printer paper, with a pair of stick figures drawn in green crayon. It was Ariko's favorite color. She had drawn it for her one cool spring day before Satsuki had ditched her.

"Best friends forever!" it read. They were watching an old magical girl anime at Ariko's house when she had gotten the idea to draw them in their own costumes.

"That's so nerdy," Satsuki had said with a grimace, but now she missed it. Regret began to surface again despite having buried it deep.

"Don't you want to fix it?" a voice asked.

Satsuki jumped. _What the hell?_

"Outside," it said again. Satsuki went to her window. The sky was now a dark blue, the sun having long gone down. The days would start getting shorter soon, Satsuki thought absently. She opened the window, letting in a cool breeze. There was nothing out there and she thought that she might finally be losing it. Middle school was rough, she supposed.

"I'm right in front of you, silly!"

In front of her wasn't a person. It was more like a mist that materialized itself into the shape of a girl. Satsuki could have just blown her away with a wave of a hand if she wanted to.

"What the fuck are you?"

"I'm nothing, nobody. What's important is how you're feeling right now."

"That's none of your business."

"Sure, but no one else knows about how _awful_ you feel about leaving your friend all alone. You must feel like an awful person."

Satsuki felt that same pull that she'd felt on that first night after she'd had that same weird dream. The one where she destroyed all of the paper people. She swallowed as she tasted salt on her tongue from tears she didn't know she were leaking from her eyes.

"She's not my friend."

But if anyone were to see her, they wouldn't take her too seriously. The girl was shaking now, soft hiccups wracking her petite frame.

"Oh? Then what about that?"

The mist pointed the drawing. Satsuki didn't answer.

"Hmm, I see… Well, what if I told you that you could fix _everything_ if you just took my hand? You'll have everything you want, and more."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Satsuki regarded the mist's outstretched hand, and briefly considered it. _Everything._ Her fingertips brushed those of the mist. It felt cold. Satsuki hated the cold. She found that her explosions weren't quite as big as she wanted them to be when it was cold. But now, the cold was nice, soothing. All she had to do was stretch out her hand a little farther, and she could fix everything-

"You better be getting ready for bed you gremlin!" her dad called, snapping Satsuki out of her reverie. To her bewilderment, she was nearly halfway out of her bedroom window.

"Aren't _you_ supposed to be in bed too? Aren't old people usually in bed by now?" she said after lowering herself back onto the floor.

"You're lucky you're my kid. Otherwise, I'd kick your ass for that!"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Would you "kick my ass" Baku-bae?" her mom chimed in.

Her dad sighed.

"Hey, brat." His voice sounded like it was outside of her room now. "You would tell us if something was wrong, right?"

Satsuki flopped down on her bed after changing clothes.

"When did you get so soft?"

She wiped some stray tears from her cheeks.

"Don't tell anyone. I need to keep my image. Just- you can tell us things, okay?"

"Okay. Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, brat."

That night, she dreamed of mochi and a voice saying, "take my hand," and of a thin, cold young woman with long black hair and pale skin. Luckily, there were no burning paper people.

* * *

 **A/N: Before writing this I watched clean BNHA vines. I don't know if that helped my writing or not. I just felt like mentioning it.**


	8. Chapter 8

"It is Wednesday, my dudes!"

"But it's Tuesday," Ariko said.

"How could you not know that reference? It's over ten years old!"

Chisato rolled her eyes as Michiko planted herself across from them. She plucked a red pansy from her head and handed it to Ariko.

"Thanks?"

"It suits you."

"Oh… Okay then!"

Ariko picked up her chopsticks, which she snapped in half accidentally with her quirk. It was strange. Her quirk was still so very weak and she could only lift small objects up to three kilograms, but when she tried to pick up something with her hands, she ended up breaking it. Was it just an unconscious thing?

There was no need to worry, however. Ariko pulled out another pair of chopsticks. This time, they didn't break. It took a lot of extra concentration, but she made it work.

"So, is that like a thing you do?" Michiko asked. She plucked a few more pansies and placed them on the table in front of her. Soon, Ariko thought, she'll have a bouquet.

"It just started happening when I got my quirk a few days ago."

"Heh, that's wild."

"Why do you keep plucking flowers from your head?" Chisato asked her.

"It's a nervous habit. Anyways, do you like catnip?"

"Wha- you don't just ask people questions like that!"

"So is that a yes?"

But before Chisato could answer, Michiko asked yet another question.

"Do you draw?"

She motioned to Ariko's open sketchbook. On the page, there was a drawing of a girl wearing a frilly pink and white dress. Her pink hair was pulled into pigtails that were held back by pink bows.

"That's really good! Can you draw me? Do you like anime? I watch anime too, just don't tell anyone, okay?"

Ariko wasn't sure how to answer so she just nodded.

"You're really quiet, huh?"

"Yeah," Ariko replied. "I'm just not used to having friends still…"

"Me neither, but that's because people think I'm annoying. Or weird!"

"Hmm," Chisato said. "Interesting. Anyways, Ariko, I forgot to ask, how was your weekend?"

"Hmm, well… it's kinda unbelievable."

"Let's hear it then," Chisato said.

"I left my house in the middle of the night on Friday. I don't really remember much… except that I ended up at that creepy abandoned building-"

"The haunted one?" Michiko cut in.

"I guess? Anyway, when I got there, Sacch- I mean- Satsuki was there too. She said she had been having bad dreams, I think. And there was another girl. I don't remember her name, but she said she came here too. I don't know what year she was either… She had purple hair though."

"You just snuck out in the middle of the night?" Chisato asked. Ariko didn't miss how her eyes narrowed at the mention of Satsuki.

"I wouldn't call it that exactly…"

"Did you want a midnight snack or something?"

Michiko had finished plucking out the pansies from the top of her head and gathered them in her hands. Ariko wanted to ask her if that's all there was to her quirk.

"No," she continued. "It felt like I was sleepwalking or in a trance."

"Huh, that _is_ quite strange."

Chisato had her tail in front of her. She played with it absently, as she thought about something.

"I'm glad you're okay. How did your parents react?"

"They were upset, but I thought it would be worse though. But they've been watching me really closely in the past few days."

"That's understandable."

"Yeah."

Michiko rose from her place at their table.

"I'm going to go give those to Bakugou-kun."

Chisato slammed her drink down onto the table from a mix of surprise and indignation. It was funny. She disliked Satsuki just as much, if not more than Ariko did.

"But _why_?"

"Have you just looked at her lately? She looks tired, sad, kinda lonely. Whatever happened on Friday night just have affected her too, probably."

"She's an awful person though."

"She's still a human, isn't she?"

Michiko bent down and gestured toward herself as if to tell a secret. The other two girls leant towards her.

"I saw her crying in the bathroom on the first day of school."

"What? Really?" That was when Ariko broke her spare pair of chopsticks.

"Yeah. I wonder if she has any real friends…"

Michiko trailed off and glanced toward the "Popular Table" where Satsuki was sitting with a large group of people. As Michiko said, she looked exhausted. Her eyes were lowered towards the table and her shoulders were hunched. If they were closer, they might be able to spot dark circles under her eyes. Around her, the other students were partaking in lively conversation, much of which seemed to barely affect her.

"Do what you want," Chisato said, "but I don't see why we should do anything for her if she won't even say sorry to Ariko for what she's done."

Ariko herself sat silently. Sure, Satsuki was awful, but she agreed with Michiko to an extent. Satsuki was human, and she did look really… not good. At the same time, could she just forget? Is that what a hero would do? If that was the case, did she want to be a hero?

The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. The rest of the day, thoughts of the wonderful place she had been to filled Ariko's head. Sometimes, as she walked through the halls, she'd turn and see red double doors. Sometimes, she'd catch a whiff of a delicious smell. For a few moments, the sky looked dark blue and full of stars even though she knew it was still day.

"Are you alright? You've been spacing all day." Chisato said.

"Heh, I'm fine. Just a bit tired as all."

The two of them walked down the hallway. Michiko, their new official friend, waited for them by the stairs.

"Did you ever give Satsuki the flowers?" Ariko asked.

"I did!"

"What did she say?"

"Nothing! She just said 'thanks' and left. She also mentioned how weird it was that I grew them from my body."

"It seems that Bakugou can show gratitude after all…"

"Of course, she can Chisa-chan! Have some faith!"

"I never gave you permission to call me that," Chisato grumbled as they descended down the stairs.

Ariko's phone vibrated and she pulled it out. One text was from her dad.

 **Broccoli Man:** _Hey Ari-chan! Make sure you let me know when you're home!_

She texted back a short "okay" and checked the second message, nearly dropping her phone when she saw who it was from.

 **Unknown:** _Hey, it's Satsuki. We need to talk about what happened._

Ariko's hands shook as she typed the next message.

 **Me:** _How did you get this number_

 **Satsuki:** _blame Plant-Head_

"Michiko, did you give Satsuki my number?"

Said girl shrugged.

" _Why_ would you do that," Chisato asked.

Michiko shrugged again and Chisato groaned.

"Hey man, I'm just trying to facilitate unity, okay?"

"You could have at least told me you were giving her my number so I wouldn't have had a mini heart attack…"

They reached the end of the courtyard. Michiko stayed behind.

"I'm going to go grow some plants around here. This place is really boring. It could use more nature."

To demonstrate, she bent over and touched the ground. A patch of sunflowers sprouted around them.

"So pretty!" Ariko said. She took in the sight of Michiko crouched among the flowers and tried to save it in her brain for later. She decided it would make a good drawing later.

After saying goodbye, Ariko and Chisato made their way to their neighborhoods. Ariko looked up at the clouds overhead. They were big and pink, like cotton candy.

"Chisato?"

"Hmm?"

"I didn't mention something about...that night."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Well, it's just that I remember that I was flying. I thought that I would reach the moon! It was… wonderful! I'd do anything to feel that way again!"

Chisato smiled.

"That does sound amazing! I wish I could fly…"

"Maybe one day, when I learn how to fly, I can take you with me!"

"That sounds lovely…"

She trailed off. There was a deep sadness in her blue eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I think we're coming up to your street."

"But-"

"I have to go now, but I'll see you tomorrow!"

Chisato's ears perked up again, and she walked away before Ariko could speak again.

"Chisato…"

She sighed and walked to her house.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

 **Satsuki:** hey, when are you going to answer me

 **Satsuki:** Asshole, hurry up and answer

 **Me:** Hi. What do you want to talk about?

Ariko's sketchbook lay open to a drawing of a sunflower. So far, only a few petals were colored and she would have finished, had it not been for Satsuki's incessant texting. She wished that Michiko wouldn't have given Satsuki her number. She pointed a finger at a blue colored pencil that lay across the room and it floated toward her. It barely made it onto the dining room table before she began to feel slightly dizzy.

 **Satsuki:** It would be easier if we met. Wanna get mochi?

"You ditch me for years, and now you want to meet up like old friends?"

Of course, she couldn't say that. Satsuki knew where she lived after all. Ariko decided on complete compliance.

 **Me:** Yeah.

 **Satsuki:** Meet me that mochi stand in that park nearby. 6:00. Don't be fucking late

"Man, you could at least be nicer about it."

Ariko glanced at the time on the microwave clock. 5:45.

She closed her sketchbook and grabbed her favorite green Deku hoodie that she'd threw over the back of the couch. Before leaving, she texted her parents that she would be out and hurried out the door.

It was 5:59 when she arrived and she was relieved. At least Satsuki wouldn't be agitated. What would Ariko do if she was? Would she be able to block one of her explosions? Ariko had just ordered mochi when Satsuki arrived, hands in her jacket pockets.

"Hey," she said and stood in line. They sat down at a bench after she ordered. The silence was deafening even though the air was filled with birdsong.

"So," Satsuki began. "You have a quirk now."

Ariko startled and brushed off some rice flour into her jeans.

"Yeah."

"Cool, I guess."

More silence. Satsuki stuffed a whole piece of mochi into her mouth.

"So… w-what did you want to talk about?"

In front of them, a pair of paper mache birds hopped around in search of food.

"Do you see it?"

"Huh?"

"The weird-ass birds."

"I do…"

"That's what I wanted to talk about. Things haven't been the same since…"

Ariko silently looked at her out of the corner of her eye.

"I've been seeing weird shit, okay? And I've been having these bad dreams-"

"Sacchan…"

"I feel so fucking crazy. I don't even know why I even told you in the first place but I thought you'd understand. I mean, you were there too, but it's like it didn't affect you at all!"

"I mean…"

Satsuki looked so vulnerable, more vulnerable than Ariko could remember seeing her. Tears dropped onto her shorts. Satsuki's mochi sat forgotten.

"And there's this creepy girl, lady, I don't fucking know. But she's been trying to make me go with her. I- have you seen it too?"

The conversation had taken a turn for the strange, but Ariko was glad Satsuki wasn't attacking her.

"I haven't seen it. Maybe you just need to get help. Professional help, I think."

Ariko was shocked at how cruel she sounded. Satsuki needed help, after all. Isn't that what a hero would do? Help someone in need? But she couldn't stop the emotions now.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Satsuki wiped some tears from her face.

"Isn't it rich that you would ask me for help after all this time?"

Satsuki let out a shaky breath.

"You're probably pissed. I understand. But I think we should… I don't know…"

She held out a hand.

"Truce?"

Ariko gawked at her outstretched hand. What was going on? What should she do? She hesitated for a few moments, but those few moments felt like they stretched into hours. A paper mache bird hopped up onto the bench in the space between them.

"I don't know," Ariko whispered. "After all this time…"

"I know I'm a bitch, but I'm sorry, okay?"

"I can't just forget what you've done!" Ariko cried. A soft wind blew through and the bird was nearly carried away.

"I was all alone… and I felt like I was nothing because of you. And now you want to say sorry."

Ariko's hands clenched into fists. Nearby, a light flickered. Her hair began to float too. _That_ was certainly new. The bird fluttered away as if it could feel the tension between the two.

"Why? Why did you do it?"

"I don't know! I don't fucking know!"

Satsuki was still sitting in her spot, more tears flowing down her sallow cheeks. Ariko didn't notice how thin she'd gotten, a fact that was only made obvious in the light of the setting sun. The tears began to gently float into the air as Ariko's quirk activated.

"You don't know?"

"I really don't, and I feel awful," she whispered. "If I could go and change everything, I would."

Ariko turned to walk away, tears continuing to escape into the air. Suddenly, the ground dropped from beneath her and the sky above seemed to get smaller and smaller. Soon, she was surrounded by inky black. It was difficult to tell which direction was up or down, left or right. The only discernible thing was Satsuki's form as she fell into the abyss.

"Ariko!"

* * *

 **A/N: This is unrelated, but I got my dad hooked on BNHA. I consider it one of my greatest achievements. Also, I hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry that this was so late! College is rough!**

* * *

"Ariko!"

Satsuki's voice was drowned out by the darkness. Ariko didn't think it was possible, but the darkness around them was so pervasive. It was like a sea of ink. It was so thick that it seemed like one would even be able to reach out and touch it. She didn't know how long they had been falling and didn't know how long it would be before they reached the ground. How would they reach the ground? Would it be a gentle drop or would it be swift and neck-breaking? Ariko flailed her limbs in panic even though she knew her efforts would be futile.

What would her parents do in this kind of situation? For one thing, they would probably keep their heads. Of course, Ariko wasn't sure if they'd been in this kind of situation. Ariko took deep breaths, remembering briefly something that her mom had told her about how deep breathing kept you grounded. She kept floating down, kind of like a leaf being blown about like the wind. Her surroundings remained as black as ever. Except, this time it was a peaceful thing. Ariko felt like she was about to fall into a deep sleep. She even yawned and closed her eyes at some point, momentarily forgetting that she was in a strange place and that she might never stop falling.

The feeling was short lived though. Finally, her feet found purchase on smooth ground. Ariko looked down. She was standing on black and white tiled floor. Ahead of her was a hallway that was lined with mirrors. It seemed to go on forever with no exits or turns. Ariko glanced up at the ceiling, expecting to find some kind of hole or trapdoor. There was nothing. There was nothing else to do except to go forward.

Her footsteps echoed loudly. Other than that, there were no signs of other people. Swallowing down the sense of creepiness she felt, she called out, hoping someone would hear.

"Hello? Satsuki?"

"I wish-" a voice said. Ariko couldn't make out the rest of what it said or where it came from. All she knew was that it was familiar.

"Chisato? Chisa-chan?"

"Why is he allowed to get away with what he did?"

"Chisa-chan, where are you? Who are you talking about?"

It was at this moment that Ariko realized that there was something strange about the mirrors. She stared into one. At first glance, they were ordinary mirrors. All she saw was an image of herself, pale and shaken, staring back at her. But, the longer she looked, the more she could see. Instead of her reflection, she saw Chisato, curled up on her bed. Ariko had been over to her house a number of times. Chisato's room was normally prim and proper, everything in its proper place. It reminded her of Satsuki's room. At least, what she could remember of it. Now, Chisato's room was in a state of total disarray, miscellaneous objects strewn throughout. Also on the floor was a family portrait. The frame was broken and glass littered the hardwood floor. To say it was shocking would be an understatement. Chisato, patient, slow to anger, looked like she had just lost it. How long was it going on? She felt a pang of guilt. Ariko wished that she had paid more attention to how Chisato felt, rather than just dumping all of her problems on her.

"Why can't you just leave him, mom? He just keeps hurting you, and you do nothing about it! I wish he would just die!"

"Chisato, I'm going to be here for you from now on," she yelled, despite knowing that the girl couldn't hear her. The image went away and Ariko was left facing her reflection once more.

Ariko sighed and pulled out her phone, wanting to cry when it didn't turn on. And then she remembered that heroes didn't cry. She steeled herself, continuing down the endless hallway. It went on and on until Ariko believed that she woudn't find a way out. Shouldn't there at least be a door, another hallway? Another turn? She sank down to the floor. Would she be stuck here forever?

She hoped Satsuki was okay, at least. She didn't know if she was ready to be friends with her again, but she also wasn't as angry as she was earlier. Maybe it was that she finally got all of her feelings out, feelings that had been locked up for years. She heard an explosion further down the hallway.

"Speak of the Devil," Ariko said.

She jogged down the hall until she finally caught sight of Satsuki's explosions and smelled a hint of nitroglycerin. Satsuki was standing in front of a door, which Ariko assumed she was trying to blast open. She stood there, unsure of what to do. Satsuki looked quite dangerous, body heaving from breathing so heavily, a wild look in her eyes. Her hands were red, what Ariko assumed was a drawback of her quirk.

"Satsuki?"

The girl turned to her.

"Hey! Help me blast this door down!"

"I-I'll try!" Ariko replied, not minding too much that Satsuki was bossing her around. She summoned as much of her quirk as possible and tried to visualize herself knocking the door down. It was difficult. She had only lifted things before. Ariko had never lifted or pushed anything quite as heavy as this door. Maybe, if she imagined a big hand punching the door, it would work. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and even physically made a fist that vaguely resembled her dad's Detroit smash. Then, she punched! She opened her eyes. The door was still standing. Did she even use that much of her quirk? Her stomach lurched, and her surroundings began to spin. Apparently, she used much more than she thought. She gathered her composure the best she could.

Satsuki scowled.

"You'd think that with all you put in, something would happen."

Ariko sighed.

"Well… um, you too."

"Whatever. We tried, I guess."

They stared at the door, at a loss.

"Did you try to just open the door?" Ariko asked.

"No," Satsuki let out a breath. "I assumed that it wouldn't be that easy. It couldn't be that easy, right?"

"I know, but it's worth a try."

The two of them cautiously approached the door, afraid that there was some kind of trap. Satsuki twisted the brass knob and the door gave way. On the other side was the park that they had been sitting in earlier. Everything looked normal, except for the fact that it looked like they were looking through a fisheye lense. Ariko reached out a hand. It went through the picture and it looked like her hand was being submerged underwater.

"I think we can escape this way!"

"If you're wrong…" Satsuki begun. "...nevermind."

Ariko slowly stepped through, Satsuki following suit. To their relief, it actually was an exit from the weird hallway. Satsuki checked her phone. It had only been around an hour after they had left their houses. There would be no angry parents tonight.

"I guess no one noticed us just appearing out of nowhere," Ariko said.

"Yeah, it's probably better if it stayed that way."

Wordlessly, they headed in the direction of their neighborhood. The strange experience had brought them closer, in a way, though Ariko wasn't sure where they stood as friends. The walk was silent until Satsuki said something.

"Don't you think it was weird that we got out of that place so easily?"

"Yeah…"

"And then we keep being lured in there."

"And we're not the only ones either." Ariko thought to herself got a moment. "That older girl was there the first time too."

"Yeah, it seemed like she was on drugs or something."

"Do you think we should tell our parents?"

"They probably already think that we're crazy. If we told then this, they'd probably lock us up in the psych ward."

Ariko's grown-up eleven-year-old mind found no fault in that reasoning.

"You're right… besides, they already have a lot to worry about."

They reached Ariko's house first.

"I'll see you around, I guess," Satsuki said.

"Definitely!" Ariko nearly shouted.

She cursed herself, wishing the exchange wasn't so awkward. What could she do though? At a loss for woods, Satsuki nodded, turned and left. Ariko went inside, deciding that now would be a good time for a nap.


	10. Chapter 10

Satsuki didn't acknowledge her presence the day after, or the day after that. Ariko decided that she didn't mind as much as she thought. At least, that's what she told herself.

The weather had finally decided to choose if it would be hot or cold. Ariko thought it would just be comfortably cool, but today, an icy wind cut through her despite the layers her dad insisted she dress in before she left for school. Dark grey clouds loomed above her. Hopefully, it wouldn't rain on the way to school. It was already enough that it was nearly freezing. It would suck if it started to rain too.

"I wonder if I could block it out somehow with my quirk? So I won't get wet?"

Ariko passed through her neighborhood until she reached her and Chisato's meeting place. Usually, the girl would be there, a subtle, sweet smile on her face. Ariko would have to resist the urge to scratch the cat-girl between her ears. She was successful about sixty-seven percent of the time, a specific number that took some advanced math and about two class periods to figure out. Except, Chisato wasn't there this morning. Maybe the girl was late? It was impossible to be early all the time, Ariko reasoned. So, she waited. After five minutes passed and about ten kids walked by, she sent a text to Chisato.

7:40- hey, where are you? You're usually here before me

Another five minutes passed. Her hands were stiff, like she had stuck them in the freezer. Her phone read, 7:45. If she didn't head off soon, she would be late to school. She sent Chisato another text, letting her know that she would be leaving.

It felt almost like the old days, where she didn't have any friends to walk with or complain about the weather to. It couldn't be helped, however. Maybe Chisato was sick or something. It wasn't like she had just abandoned Ariko. Still, dread pierced her chest like an icicle at the thought of being alone again.

If the day wasn't already different enough, the old warehouse was also abuzz with activity. In the vacant lot were a dozen police cars. Policemen were milling about outside, some taking pictures, others scouting the area in search for evidence of some kind. The entrance to the gate was closed off with yellow CAUTION tape. Ariko gaped at the scene, almost pulled in by the bustle, until she was shooed away by an officer with two large leather wings.

When she arrived at school, everyone there also seemed more on edge than usual. Groups of kids were gathered around in the courtyard. Ariko didn't know many people still, so she opted to just stand on the outskirts and tried to decipher the noisy conversation. No luck. Instead, she went inside, where it was only slightly less cold. Michiko approached her at her shoe locker, a conspiratorial smile on her face.

"Did you hear? An upperclassman from here went missing!"

"Why're you smiling about that? What if she got kidnapped, or…"

"It's just how I deal with trauma, I guess. Anyway, where's our favorite catnip addict?"

Ariko sighed.

"I don't know. She didn't answer her phone. I think she might be sick."

"Maybe it's from all cat treats?"

Ariko frowned.

"Can you be serious about things? Even for five minutes?"

"I don't know, man."

A fat, bright red mushroom sprouted from the crown of Michiko's head. She plucked it and handed it to Ariko.

"Here," she said. "You could use this. You seem like you're on edge today."

"I-I don't think I want to eat anything that comes from the top of your head. Sorry…"

As Ariko put her shoes in her locker as two policemen walked by. It was weird seeing police at their school. She never took school as a particularly exciting place, but now it seemed like a hub of activity. She almost expected a hero to show up. The bell rang and Ariko and Michiko headed to their respective classes.

Chisato's empty seat bothered no one except Ariko, who began to think of what she saw in that weird hallway the other day. Could Chisato's absense have something to do with it? She had looked very upset. Maybe she was so upset that she decided not to show up to school. But she never failed to show up to class before and never showed any indication that she was even that upset in the first place. Ariko wished she paid more attention…

And that other girl, what happened to her?

"Midoryia, please pay attention."

Ariko jumped in her seat, gaining some quiet snickers.

"Yes, Sensei!"

Fujioka sent her a brief glance and then continued her lesson on similar triangles. After class, her teacher called her over.

"You're Tachibana's friend, yes?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She handed Ariko a small stack of papers.

"Please give these to her, so she won't fall behind."

"I will."

"Midoryia," Fujioka said, before she turned to leave, "as you may already know, a student has been declared missing."

"Yes, someone told me about it this morning."

Her teacher's eyes met hers, a gaze that seemed to look into the innermost parts of Ariko's mind. Ariko felt almost naked, afraid of what she might find. It felt like hours before Fujioka spoke again.

"You would tell me if anything was wrong, right?"

"Y-yes!"

"Good. You may leave," she said, returning to her normal, stern self. It took all of Ariko's willpower not to sprint out of the room. She found Michiko by pure luck and she wasn't quite sure why she sought her out in the first place. The girl was hanging around in the library, looking at books about carnivorous plants.

"I'm looking for ideas," Michiko whispered. Ariko wasn't sure that she wanted to know what she meant.

"Do you know anything about that girl who went missing?" she asked instead.

"I can tell you, but you have to pay me five hundred yen."

"What?" Ariko said, a bit too loud. A few aisles over, someone shushed her.

"Nah, I'm just kidding. The girl's name, I believe, is Kobayashi Sakura. She's a third year. Super popular and stuff. I heard that like ten guys declared their love for her on White Day last year-"

"What did she look like?"

"She had like purple hair… kinda tall, I think. Oh! I think she could detect lies or something."

Michiko stroked her chin.

"Why're you so interested all of a sudden? Do you have a crush on her?"

"No! I think I met her before."

"I mean, we go to the same school-"

"Not at school, though! It's kinda weird, and I don't know if you'll believe me."

"Try me."

"Okay, well, do you remember how I told you that I left my house in the middle of the night that one time?"

"Yeah."

"That night… it wasn't just me or Satsuki. Kobayashi-Senpai was there too. It looked like she was also in a trance, from what I remember. Anyways, she wasn't there when we left, so I didn't think anything of it. But now… what if she's still in that other place and no one knows except for us? And, I'm worried about Chisato too because… I saw something that I don't think she wanted me to see."

Michiko had plucked a daisy from her head and was twirling it around in her fingers, deep in thought.

"First of all, that's like the most I've ever heard you say since I've met you. Second, what did you see in… that place that made you so worried?"

"Chisato was very mad. Her room was a mess, like she had just thrown things around. She was saying something about her dad, I think. I don't know if what happened was just me seeing things that weren't real-because that's what happened before-but I want to make sure Chisato's okay."

"And you think that you know what happened to Kobayashi?"

"I-I think! But I don't know what to do about it! I don't know if the police would believe me…"

"I don't really see any reason you'd have to lie about this, but you shouldn't do anything too crazy."

"I know. I know."

"I'll come with you, though. To check on her."

Michiko's eyes were slightly widened, and Ariko caught a glimspe of hope and a little lonliness. I guess I'm not the only one who needs a friend, she thought. She smiled.

"Yeah. Let's go!"

* * *

 **A/N: I want to drop out of college. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Feedback is welcome! Honestly, if you want to leave a comment saying that this story is awful, I'll take that. (Actually don't do that.) I'm hoping to have another chapter up fairly soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I caught a cold and had an exam, both this week. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

A pretty calico cat-woman with blue eyes opened the door when Ariko rang the bell. There was a pleasant smile on her face when she noticed the two girls.

"Hello, girls. Are you here to see Chise-chan?" she asked with a voice as gentle as her daughter's.

"Yes! We brought her some make-up work too!" Ariko said.

"Thank you! We can't have Chisato missing too much school… Oh! Please come inside."

She led them into the living-room.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'll go get Chise-chan."

She left the two of them alone. Michiko sat on an armchair near the window, slouching as she basked in the sunlight. Red and yellow roses sprouted from her head. Ariko wondered how it worked. Did the type of plant that sprouted have anything to do with her mood? And there was the question of how she sprouted so many plants from her head in the first place….

"You're being weird, stop that," Michiko said.

"Huh?"

"You're muttering a lot."

"Oh! Sorry… I was just wondering how your quirk works."

Michiko opened her eyes.

"I'm not completely sure, to be honest. But I know it has something to do with how much sunlight I take in. I basically do photosynthesis."

"So you're like, a… plant?"

"Yeah, sure. You can say that."

At that moment, Chisato's mom stepped back in, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Chise-chan, doesn't want to see anyone right now. She's still feeling a little under the weather, unfortunately. I'm sorry, girls."

"It's alright, we understand," Michiko said as they headed to the door.

"I hope she's okay…" Ariko trailed off becoming lost in thought.

"I'm sure she's fine. She seems like she's pretty tough."

"I know, but what I saw- I don't know if she's really okay."

They stopped once they reached an intersection. It was quiet even though it was only a little after four. A couple strolled down the street, soaking up the last rays of sun before the chilly night settled in.

"I live that way."

Michiko pointed to their left.

"I'm sure everything will be okay, so don't worry!" she said, patting Ariko's shoulder.

"I'll try!"

They parted ways and Ariko stood there for a few more minutes before she turned to leave. There was still a few hours left in the day, so Ariko decided to wander the streets. A few leaves fell from above. A large one hit her in the face and she caught it with her quirk. It floated above her opened palm, stuck in her orbit, until it flew away after a particularly strong gust of wind.

She looked up after a few minutes. In front of her was the old warehouse. Why she ended up here, she didn't understand. There was no police tape or cars. There was very little indication that anyone was there that morning. The ivy-covered windows glowed in the late sun. Ariko wondered if Kobayashi Sakura was on the other side, staring back. The thought sent chills up her spine. But, it left her with an idea.

-0-0-0-

"Ari-chan, you bent your fork again," her dad said. She glanced down to her food which had split on the table. Warmth flooded her face.

"Sorry! I was just thinking so hard that I didn't notice…"

He chuckled.

"Eventually, we're going to run out of silverware. If you want…"

He had a bright smile, and Ariko could tell that he was barely containing his excitement. It was similar to staring into the sun.

"... we could work on controlling your quirk."

"Really? I get to train with THE Deku?"

"Anything for my number one fan!"

She didn't miss the look on his face, the look of a proud father about to show his child all the ropes. Ariko was glad that she could make him happy. She wasn't sure if such a thing was possible if she had _never_ gotten a quirk.

"Hey dad?" she asked, tentatively. "A girl from my school went missing today."

"I hope she's alright… I'm assuming the police are on it?"

"Yeah, they were everywhere today, just looking for her and stuff. I was just thinking…"

What would she say? That she thought that Kobayashi was in that weird place? Would her dad believe her?

"Nevermind."

Her dad had his sharp eyes trained on her face, trying to pry out information.

"Do you think you know where she is?"

"I don't know. It's nothing."

He sighed and patted her shoulder.

"You can tell me if anything's wrong. You know that, right?"

"Of course!"

She smiled at him.

"Just… don't do anything to put yourself in danger."

"I won't," she said, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, like he wasn't sure if he believed her.

After dinner, she attempted to call Chisato again. Her calls went to voicemail. She wasn't surprised, though she was a little hurt. Instead, she sent her some texts instead.

 _Hey, are you feeling better?_ \- sent at 18:05

 _We missed you!_ \- sent at 18:20

Ariko sighed and started doing some homework, checking her phone every so often. Was it so hard to send back a text letting her know she was okay? Frustrated, Ariko went to the kitchen, looking for a snack. She didn't find anything that she wanted, so she went back. There still weren't any texts. She sunk down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, because she jolted awake at the sound of her dad knocking on the door.

"Something came up at work, but I should be back soon. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, go do cool superhero stuff!"

He kissed her forehead.

"Don't stay up too late, alright?" he said as he left her room. Only five minutes passed when Ariko got a text. It was from Chisato!

 _I'm going to a lovely place, and I think you should come with me! -_ recieved at 21:41

She stared at the screen for a few seconds. If she left would mom or dad find out?

 _Chisato? Where are you?_ \- sent 21:43

 _By the train station_ \- recieved at 21:46

 _Don't go anywhere! I'm coming!_ \- sent at 21:47

She hurriedly put on her shoes and made sure to lock the door behind her this time.


End file.
